Gyeongju City Speeds Up "All-Out Municipal Innovation" in Low-Birthrate Response, Culture, Sports, and Youth Support

Strengthening Responses to Low Birthrates and Child Welfare
Enhancing the City's Appeal Through Culture, Arts, Tourism, and Sports
Supporting Youth Entrepreneurship and Sales Channels for Artists

Gyeongju City announced a wide range of municipal initiatives, including securing central government funding after being selected for a low-birthrate response project, expanding child-friendly restaurants, supporting drama production, opening an autumn garden, hosting an international youth soccer tournament, and helping young artists find sales channels.

Gyeongju City was selected for the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's "2026 Regional Customized Low-Birthrate Response Project" and secured KRW 500 million in special grant tax revenue.

With a total project budget of KRW 10.5 billion, the city will build the Gyeongju Station Area Integrated Care Support Center in Hwacheon-ri, Geoncheon-eup, by October 2029.

A view of the Gyeongju Station Area in Hwacheon-ri, Geoncheon-eup, Gyeongju, where the Gyeongju Station Area Integrated Care Support Center will be built. Provided by Gyeongju City.

The center will house an integrated counseling room, toy and childcare-supply rental rooms, a children's library, and indoor play facilities for infants and toddlers, providing one-stop pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare services in the southwestern part of the city.

To make dining out more convenient for families with children, the city will expand its "Welcome Kids Zone" child-friendly restaurants from 138 to 188 locations.

This year, in addition to providing child-friendly items to newly designated restaurants, the city will offer up to KRW 4 million to each of five restaurants to install play facilities, creating a safe and comfortable dining environment for families.

On October 14, Gyeongju City held an event wishing success for KBS's epic historical drama "Munmu" in the plaza in front of the King Munmu Sea History Museum.

Joo Nak-young, mayor of Gyeongju, other distinguished guests, and about 80 cast members attended the event and took part in a ceremony signing a large scroll.

The 28-episode drama "Munmu," which premieres on November 14, 2026, will shed new light on King Munmu's spirit of protecting the nation and help establish the East Coast as a historical and cultural tourism destination.

Meanwhile, Gyeongju Donggungwon is holding its "Autumn Flower Festival" through November, featuring 20,000 autumn flowers, including chrysanthemums, cosmos, and dahlias, as well as photo zones, to offer visitors a taste of the season.

In sports, the opening ceremony of the 2026 Hwarangdaegi International Youth Soccer Tournament was held at Lahan Select Gyeongju on October 13. A total of 28 teams from eight countries are taking part, including 16 teams from seven countries overseas, such as Brazil's Palmeiras and Portugal's Sporting Lisbon, promoting friendship and international sports exchange through soccer.

Gyeongju City is holding a public contest for products to be sold at the 2027 Youth Sensibility Shop to discover the creative ideas of young local artists and help them secure stable sales channels.

The contest is open to Gyeongju residents aged 19 to 39, as well as young people planning to move to the city. Selected products will be displayed and sold for one year in 2027 at the Youth Sensibility Shop inside the Hwangnidan-gil Community Culture Center.

Applications will be accepted through October 30, with in-person submissions taking place from November 2 to 4.

Gyeongju Mayor Joo Nak-young said, "We are bringing new energy to municipal affairs across the board, from building a foundation to address the low birthrate to creating childcare and dining environments where children and parents can be happy, as well as supporting culture, sports, and young people." He added, "We will continue working to make Gyeongju a warm and dynamic city that all its residents can experience."

It remains to be seen whether policies spanning care, culture and sports, and support for young people will bring tangible changes to residents' daily lives.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.